Was wondering if i should go Phenom II or not, as its pretty cheap and my system is going to be dated fairly soon.

All i do on my PC is tons of gaming and going on the webs.

Now, my current system is fairly good, i just need to get a new video card. But i don't want to get a new card if the rest of the system isn't going to keep up with future game titles. I think that upgrading to a more recent platform will boost longevity and overall performance, but i would like some more opinions.

Just overclock dammit lol If you got it to 3-3.2ghz it will be a lot faster. And you don't need to upgrade, it's not that far behind the phenom II/i7 in gaming. Games like high cache and high speeds, something your QX6700 CAN do.

CDdude55, all you need is a video card, your current 8600 GTS is a let down, stick in a cheap 4870 to hold you down for about a year, in a year perhaps consider a full system upgrade either a Phenom II or i7. As it stands the QX6700 is very powerful still I very much doubt any non-SLI config can bottle neck it. The truth is the slower Q6600 is still in the top 10 of high-end Intel processors, s isthe QX6700!

If you feel the compulsion to upgrade the CPU as well (not needed) it will be cheaper to keep your existing motherboard as you have adequate socket 775 board, just drop in a Q9550 or Q9650 this is my recommended route to go down after keeping your existing one and applying a mild overclock!

On a side note for gaming the Phenom II would be just as fast as the i7, I fail to see how one could add more longevity in games when they are matched in that particular task?

You have a QX6700... that processor was made to be overclocked. Don't worry about your mobo, you are excempt from the FSB wall that plauges quads on that chipset. You can raise the multiplier and overclock that way.

You could easily get 3ghz with the stock voltage. Just set the multiplier to 11 and boot. Then stress it. If it fails, give the voltage a little bump. But I'd be surprised if you couldn't get 3ghz on stock voltage, honestly. Anything under 1.5v is not going to damage it in ANY way.

BUY A NEW VIDEO CARD. If you are a gamer that would be the most important piece of hardware in your system. I'm sorry but for gaming the 8600 sucks. *Oh I see 4890 soon, good! Your processor on the other hand is solid.

The QX would be SO much easier to OC. You just need to raise the multiplier, the E4400 you need to mess with the FSB, which then equates to messing with the ram speeds and voltage and maybe NB voltage settings.

It won't really be a upgrade, unless you consider the money spent on it. The 4890 will be a huge upgrade, and if you do choose to go witgh a PII, then you will save on electricity needs from the whole package.

Ya i am getting a 4890 soon. Hope it will be a nice boost in performance over my crappy 8600 GTS.

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It most definitely will. A nice little mild overclock on your processor will go a long way too. You probablly will be able to run 3.2ghz on your quad with little to no voltage increase and that will really help! We'd all love to help you do it.

Ya i am getting a 4890 soon. Hope it will be a nice boost in performance over my crappy 8600 GTS.

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You say that like you're not happy with the current state of high end video cards. You do not understand that you're going to be going from only playing at 1280x1024 at medium settings with a lot of lag to being able to run whatever resolution you damn well want at whatever detail you want with frame rates peeking at 100 FPS. There is no comparison, I do not even consider the 8600 series a gaming video card they were just scams to get people to upgrade to DX10.

If money is a problem you'd be better off buying a cheap 4770 or ATI 4850 than to wait for the 4890, please do not wait for hardware I bet you've been waiting to replace that 8600 GTS for a long time now.

You say that like you're not happy with the current state of high end video cards. You do not understand that you're going to be going from only playing at 1280x1024 at medium settings with a lot of lag to being able to run whatever resolution you damn well want at whatever detail you want with frame rates peeking at 100 FPS. There is no comparison.

If money is a problem you'd be better off buying a cheap 4770 or ATI 4850 than to wait for the 4890, please do not wait for hardware I bet you've been waitng to replace that 8600 GTS for a long time now.

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The only thing i am disappointed about with high end cards is the heat and noise they produce now a days, which was one of my gripes with the 4890, but i will overlook that.

And yep, i have been waiting a long time to upgrade from my 8600 GTS, as of now i am still saving to get the 4890 and would rather wait and save on that then go with a more lower end card and end up getting the 4890 at a later date.

The only thing i am disappointed about with high end cards is the heat and noise they produce now a days, which was one of my gripes with the 4890, but i will overlook that.

And yep, i have been waiting a long time to upgrade from my 8600 GTS, as of now i am still saving to get the 4890 and would rather wait and save on that then go with a more lower end card and end up getting the 4890 at a later date.

as of now i am still saving to get the 4890 and would rather wait and save on that then go with a more lower end card and end up getting the 4890 at a later date.

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That is the wrong mentality, you'd always be waiting for hardware if you keep saving by the time you have enough for he 4890 the card it will be old news. You'd be better off spending $100 on a 4850 or $80 on a 4830 which are more than capable of running today's games at high detail at a peek of 100 FPS at high resolutions. You'd get almost 2 years out of it by which time the next $80 - $100 mid range card will be out and most probably out perform the 4890 whilst supporting DX11.

e.g. I spent £74 on my 4830 at the start of the year (it was actually a free replacement after RMA'ing my old 9600 GT), and I'm enjoying playing my games @ 1440x900 at very high detail, 4x AA, 16 AF, Tombraider underworld @ 60-120 FPS, COD: WAW @ 60-90 FPS, even on my crappy processor, whilst you'll be waiting weeks maybe months for that 4890 whilst missing out on playing games well *Now*. - Heck my old 9600 GT gave me similar performance to my 4830, I bought my 9600 GT last year for cheap I would of kept it if I didn't have to RMA it. My point is high end cards are great but if it means that you have to suffer with bad frame rates and low detail now its not worth waiting when the midrange cards will suffice.